Palestinians Mourn Hamas Terrorists Suspected of Killing Israeli Boys

Thousands of Palestinians mourned the deaths Tuesday of two Palestinian men suspected of kidnapping and killing three Israeli students in June, the Jerusalem Post reports. A massive funeral procession honoring Marwan Kawasme and Amar Abuysha moved through the streets of Hebron, featuring mourners waving Palestinian and Hamas flags. Both Hamas-affiliated terrorists were killed after they opened fire on Israeli troops moving in to arrest them.

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Israeli politicians also praised the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for carrying out the raid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement vowing that Israel “will continue to hit terror everywhere.”

“This is a clear message to all of our enemies that we will settle the score with any terrorist, no matter where they are hiding,” Israeli MK Danny Danon said.

Hamas officials initially denied involvement in the boys’ kidnapping and murders, and some media reports accused Netanyahu of taking advantage of the crime to go after Hamas infrastructure and members in the West Bank.

However, a senior Hamas official admitted in August that the terrorist organization was responsible for the abduction and murders. Salah al-Aruri, based in Turkey, praised the “heroic action of the Kassam Brigades (Hamas’ military wing) who kidnapped three settlers in Hebron.”

Hamas issued a statement after Tuesday’s raid, praising Kawasme and Abuysha as martyrs, “and we stress that their assassination will not weaken the resistance.”

Steven Emerson is the Executive Director the Investigative Project on Terrorism (www.investigativeproject.org) where this article first appeared.